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News agency journalist suspended for publishing report with expletive for PM Modi

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The report was retracted from the website and the agency’s subscribers after the fiasco was discovered.

New Delhi: Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), a leading Indian news agency, was left red-faced Wednesday after a report it published contained an expletive in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The report was about the Modi government giving its approval to “pro-farmer” initiatives ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.


Also read: Modi government has a new slogan ahead of 2019: Farmer’s India


Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), the report said it “was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra B*****d Modi”.

The report was retracted from the website and IANS subscribers after the fiasco was discovered.

Reporter suspended

“IANS deeply regrets the wholly inadvertent incursion of an unparliamentary reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of its reports yesterday,” IANS managing editor Hardev Sanotra said in a statement emailed to ThePrint.

“The error is unacceptable and unconscionable. As soon as it was discovered, the report was pulled off from the wires and a corrected story issued,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the reporter concerned has been suspended with immediate effect pending an urgent ongoing investigation. A show-cause notice has also been issued to the concerned editor.

“IANS has always strived to uphold the values of accuracy, objectivity and rigour in its reportage and remains committed to the highest norms of journalistic ethics and excellence.

“But anyone who is seriously associated with the media knows only too well that inadvertent mistakes, however egregious, can and sometimes do unfortunately take place. This being one such instance, perhaps the first in over 25-year history of our organization.

“We apologise profoundly to our subscribers, readers and the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the error and assure them of our continued endeavour to produce objective, accurate and high-quality reportage,” Sanotra said.

Government ‘takes strong note’

Government sources said they had taken strong note of the episode as well, and will approach IANS authorities to track the action taken against the journalist responsible.


Also read: PM Modi writes to media houses to participate in ‘clean India movement’


Founded by Indian-American publisher Gopal Raju, IANS counts several media organisations among its subscribers. It is one of the country’s two most prominent wire services, the other being Press Trust of India.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Chrislamocommies find it difficult to hide their hatred for Hindus. Don’t worry. Get used to ur frustration. You will have to live under Hindus for all times to come

  2. IANS is the brainchild of BJP and Hindu hating Gopala Raju. He is a Christian by birth. He collected lot of money in
    USA under the India Abroad Foundation. He was the founder Publisher / Editor of India Abroad. His bias against Hindus and BJP
    runs deep. He was one of the signatories against giving Narendra Modi the Visa to USA. Good part of his charities went to Christian causes. Gopal Raju is a Trojan horse with a Hindu name. Thank god I have lot of Christian friends who are not like him.
    If Gopal Raju runs the IANS, the news agency itself is suspect.

    • It is a national shame that the same forces who criticized the
      ‘Emergency ” by Indira Gandhi today uphold the same policy under Modi’s rule.
      In this context one is reminded of the politically motivated arrest
      of intellectuals and human right
      activists by the Maharashtra government and the consequent
      direction by the supreme court to
      release them, the SC remarked that ‘ the right to dissent is the
      safety valve of democracy.
      The above incident proves that
      the Modi government wants to
      hide the facts from the public.
      Modi and his brigade of liars today try to suppress all forms of
      critical opinions in India.
      For instance, when the human right activists attempt to emphathize with social conditions that breed extremism
      and insurgency, the Maharashtra
      police confuse empathy with incitement and they associate
      compassion with collaboration.
      Today it has become a fashion to
      label each voice of dissent as anti
      national by the media.
      Same is this instance of sensoring by the press due to
      pressure from the central govt.
      Interestingly the followers of
      the saffron party has started their
      skirmishes on the paper for publishing some bitter truths.

  3. These media cronies acting for ther masters – political or Naxals or foreign powers. We the voters know it well. One more term to Modi and India is cleaned of such cronies and their masters – most of them in jail by then. Actually such vile attack on Modi help us resolve our support to PM Modi. The alternative is this!

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